Residents of Antique’s coastal areas are required to conduct regular cleanups to prevent and mitigate marine pollution.
In an interview on Friday, Vice Governor Edgar Denosta said he was glad that the Provincial Board approved an ordinance requiring all households along the coastal areas in the province to conduct regular cleanup activities in compliance with Republic Act (RA) 9003 and RA 9275, during its session on Thursday.
Denosta authored the ordinance after he noticed loads of trash along the coastal areas, where 15 of Antique’s 18 municipalities are situated.
Some coastal barangays do not comply with RA 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management (ESWM) Act of 2000 and RA 9275 or the Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004, he said.
“With the implementation of the new ordinance, I hope that there will already be uniformity in the implementation of the law by the barangays,” he added.
Under the ordinance, cleanup will be scheduled by all coastal barangays at a mutually agreed date and time.
“The households will have to regularly clean up the front yard of their houses facing the coastal area,” Denosta said, warning that penalties would be imposed on individuals, households, or establishments that fail to comply.
The first offense, he said, would entail a fine of PHP2,000 and reprimand; the second offense, PHP3,000 plus coastal cleanup service; and subsequent offenses, PHP5,000 plus coastal cleanup service.
The municipal or barangay treasurer is deputized to collect the penalties.
Denosta also said apart from the regular cleanups, a synchronized cleanup shall be done by all coastal barangays twice a year – every third week of March and third week of September during the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) Day.
The purpose of the (ICC) is to engage people around the world to remove trash and debris from beaches and waterways, identify the sources of litter, and change the behaviors that cause pollution, the same idea behind the provincial ordinance.
“There will also be the creation of the Barangay Solid Waste Management Committee with the barangay captain as chairperson,” he said.
The committee will assist in the implementation of the ordinance and conduct training on ESWM. (PNA)
